Dress-stay



('No Model.)

L. F. HOWE.

DRESS STAY.

No. 532,784. Patented Jan. 22, 1895.

fi iinessew- 3 fzwnfa w NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

LUOIAN F. HOWE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

DRESS-STAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letterslatent No. 532,784, dated January 22, 1 895.

Application filed April 5, 1894- Serlal No. 506,391- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LLUOIAN F. HOWE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, county of Ouyahoga, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dress-Stays, of which the following is a specification.

Dress stays are now formed ordinarily, of one or more steels or bones inserted in a suitable covering. Where two steels are used, it is customary to form two in dependent parallel pockets therefor in the covering. My invention relates specifically to this form of stay and is especially intended for those in which the covering is woven.

The object of the invention is to more safely secure thesteels in the covering, prevent any longitudinal'movement of one steel on the other, and protect and strengthen the ends of the stays.

To this end, my improved dress-stay con sists in a plurality of steels inclosed (preferably in separate pockets) in a suitable covering and having U-shaped guards which pass through the covering near .its ends and em,- brace the ends of the steels and are held in place by suitable eyelets or rivets and protected by suitable sateen or other flexible end pieces. I

Referring to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a front view of one of my improved dress-stays, partly broken away to show the interior construction. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same. Figs. 3, 4. and 5 are front views of one end of the stay showing three steps in the process of construction. Fig. 6 is a face view of the blank for the metal stirrup. Fig. 7 is an edge view of the stirrup.

1, 1 are two plain steels of suitable material, inclosed in pockets in a fabric sheath or covering 2. They are. held apart by eyelets 5 and from relative endwise movement by metal stirrups 3, applied in the manner hereinafter described. The covering 2 is made of greater length than the stools and has a transverse slot 6 (see Fig. 3) near each end and immediately adjacent to the ends of the steels 1, 1 when they are placed in their pockets in covering 2. The metal stirrups 3 are slipped into these slots as shown in Fig. 4 and a sateen or equivalentfabric end-piece 4, is then put on and fastened as shown in Fig. 5 by the eyelet 5 which passes through the fabric end piece, through the stirrup 3 and covering 2 and between the steels 1, 1. The parts are thus held firmly together and, by reason of the extension of the covering 2 beyond the stirrup 3, a cushion of fabric is provided between the ends of the stools and the fabric and piece 4 which adds to the life of the stay. In Figs. 6 and 7 the steps of making the stirrup are illustrated. The stirrup is first formed in the flat blank shown in Fig. 6, roughnesses or serrations, and is then bent up to the U form shown in Fig. .7.

Having thus described my invention, the

following is what Iclaim as new therein and 

